It’s no secret among parents that talking to children about sensitive topics is never easy. Most of us don’t even know where to begin, and it’s become even more challenging in a world dominated by social media. To help parents navigate difficult conversations, NCJW/Essexis launching Carpool Conversations, a project developed in the aftermath of our sold-out production of SLUT The Play.

SLUT depicted the sexual assault of a high school
girl by her male friendsand helped to shine a spotlight on critical issues like consent, sexism and
sexual violence. The production sparked a flurry of dialogue among attendees
about how to parent in a world filled with the realities presented by the play.
Parents in the community were looking to do
something to protect their children.

NCJW/Essex heard these concerns
and undertook extensive research into how to reach children before they faced the issues raised in SLUT,
and thereby begin
to unravel a culture in which these issues are all too commonplace. Carpool Conversations was developed to give parents of children in
grades 4 through 7 tools for talking to children, allowing them to grow up to be
strong, kind and safe.

Our upcoming April 4 introductory event will feature a
panel of professionals specializing in working with this age group and
experienced in dealing with hot-button issues like posting on social media,
body image, sexting, internet pornography and gender expectations, among
others. The panel will help attendees identify their own biases and explore various
approaches to the types of conversations we know we need to have with
young people in order to impact change. Professionally-led
smaller group discussions with a focus on specific topics will follow
throughout the spring.